Homeowner's relief as bats move out
Steve Dainty's life is getting back to normal after a colony of pipistrelle bats left his bathroom airing cupboard.
Mr Dainty was forced to move out of his house in Great Doddington for two days after he discovered the bats when he put towels away in his bathroom.
The endangered roosting creatures were then guided back up to Mr Dainty's loft space by the Bat Conservation Society before he could move back in.
Mr Dainty said: "The bats had their babies and then started to disappear, so panic over. It was a relief when they went back to living in the trees. I didn't mind them in my loft but I don't like having them flying around my living space."
The Bat Conservation Society said it is illegal to cover exits and entrances used by the protected species. Populations of bats were particularly badly hit this year after a cold and wet summer meant adult bats abandoned their young to survive.
Phil Richardson, the National Trust's bat conservation officer, who lives in Great Brington, said: "The problems are not across the whole species, but with brown long ear bats and pipistrelles due to the weather because they depend on insects.
"We had lots more people ringing in July because of abandoned bats but they are long-living creatures and the populations will go up and down.
"People can help bat populations by planting light-scented shrubs like jasmine and tobacco plants to attract the insects."
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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